The Farther Journey
by Itsy-Evil-Spiders
Summary: CHapter 4 up! More lessons of language and of the heart...prepare thyselves for fluff... RikuXOC SoraXKairi RoxasXNamine
1. The Awakening

A/n Okay, I know many of you will kill me for not updating on my other stories (aka YEWYD, CoM, etc.) and I honestly apologize. The others have been put on hold because of my sudden inspiration for this story.ducks incase of flying objects I'm sorry, I have had a strange obsession with Kingdom Hearts fics lately, but that does not mean that I will forget about YEWYD...it's my baby!

Anyway, cough, cough I hope that not too many fans will be disappointed with me, although I shouldn't make excuses, so I will punish myself with deranged movies that will make me cry due to a romantic fluff overload.

Also, even though there is a Sora/ Kairi relationship, along with Namine/ Roxas (you'll find out later why) in this fic, the main one has to do with Riku, but with who, I won't tell...Horacio, get that malevolent look off your face! Anyway, please be nice with this one; also, this story takes place right after the ending of KH2 with the letter...right at that point. Now we'll find out what's in that bottle...that wretched little glass bottle that left me with the biggest cliffhanger of my Kingdom Hearts obsession in my life. I had cried. A lot.

Disclaimer: I'm only going to do this once: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of the Final Fantasy characters that appear in the game, but I do own the OC that appears in this chapter. Miho is my child.

Now, without further ado, Kingdom Hearts: The Farther Journey.

NOTE: I had deleted this because I thought there was something wrong with it, but I hope it will be okay now. I tend to do that sometimes when I believe I haven't done something to the best of my abilities.

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Chapter 1: The Awakening.

Sora stared dumbly at the rolled-up scrap, repeating the cursive-printed words over and over again in his head. The setting swirls of orange and red set the words on dappled gold paper, making them seem an even bolder ebony.

_We need you back._

Four simple words, so many questions. Was Xemnas back? Was Kingdom Hearts once again in jeopardy? Were the worlds once again in mortal peril? What the Hell was going on?

Sora never felt so dizzy as he ran a tired hand through his spiky brown locks. Kairi's dimming sapphire blue orbs questioned him, nagging Sora to his very core.

"So much for going back to a normal life." Riku glimpsed the paper in disdain, rolling his minty green eyes.

"As if we ever were normal." Sora retorted, though smiling slightly at his friend's never-failing sarcasm. A light wind cut through the awkward silence, screaming thoughts echoing through the teenagers' heads, taunting them to no end.

"Well, I hope you guys aren't expecting me to stay behind this time." Both boys turned to Kairi, who had a demanding look that dared to grace her delicate features.

"Oh no Kairi, don't even think about—" Sora was interrupted as Kairi assumed a defensive stance, and a bright, blinding light formed in her hands.

"...Yeah, I forgot I gave her that thing..." Riku grinned sheepishly as they eyed her Keyblade that closely resembled a ribbon-embroidered, over-flowered basket.

"You were saying?" Kairi said triumphantly as she twirled it around like a baton.

"But still, that doesn't mean that you can really fight, and you might get hurt." Sora looked at her pleadingly, while Riku scooted away from him, getting out of the ever-threatening line of fire. Sora was definitely going to get an earfull from the pink-clad young woman now.

"Sora! I'll prove to you that I can fight; watch, I'll spar with you!" Kairi lifted the weapon in front of her in an offensive stance, determination striking her face, while Sora gave Riku a look that said: Help me.

"No way man, you got yourself into this mess; I'm not saving your butt if she kills you." Riku folded his arms and smirked as he leaned back against the papou tree, amused.

"Fine." Sora felt the Kingdom Key form in his hands as he prepared to battle Kairi.

"Okay, don't hold back..." Kairi stepped back, ready. "I mean it Sora."

"Right."

Both teens dashed at each other, continuous clanks and clashes of metal resounding across the sand.

Kairi fell back, staggering slightly from the impact of their blades but recovered. Sora ran forward, about to hit her and end the battle but she dodged his blow at the last second. Thank goodness it didn't hit her; the impact would have crushed her, as it left a crackling crater in the sandy ground. She stared at slight shock, trembling as she took in Sora's calm but smirking face as he pulled up his blade and pointed it at her menacingly. Her eyes widened; he was actaully taking her request to heart.

She would have been moved beyond words if she weren't so busy trying to dodge his blows.

"C'mon Kairi! You wanted to fight, but you're just running away!" Riku yelled, purposely ticking her off so that she put in more effort.

"Quit it Riku!" Sora yelled as he tried to block Kairi. She took advantage of his momentary distraction and threw her blade at him in a last attempt effort to hit him. Sora yelled out in pain as it grazed his arm, leaving a long, bloody gash.

"Oh my gosh! Sora, I'm so sorry!" The red-haired girl ran to Sora in concern, kneeling beside him. Sora grinned mischeiviously, while the red-headed girl looked at him in mild confusion, about to reprimand him for having an injury and then smiling like it was nothing. How dare he--

"Heal." He said simply, and his wound closed up in an emerald light, good as new.

"Huh?" Kairi examined his arm in wonder.

"Gotcha!"

Kairi barely had time to react as Sora knocked her back. She stumbled and tried to regain her footing, only to have Sora pin her down with his blade in less than a nanosecond. She blinked in momentary surprise, just before blushing at the distance between her face and the brunette-haired boy. He chuckled slightly, his laugh a low rumbling that sent vibrations up her spine before her face turned sour and pouted.

"Hey, no fair! You cheated Sora!" Kairi struggled against the weight of the key, as Sora kept trying to hold back his laughter.

"Not my fault you were so gullible!" Sora grinned stupidly as he stood up, his Keyblade disappearing. She pouted and stood up as well, her arms crossed and glaring at him.

"You have to admit Sora, she ain't half-bad. Kairi's quick to learn, and she has plenty of raw talent. Someday, she just might beat you." Riku stated as he made his way towards his friends. Kairi smiled as she rubbed the back of her head, being the modest girl she was.

"But..." Sora started, but Riku hushed him, leaning close to his ear.

"Besides, I don't think you'll wanna leave your girlfriend behind...she was kidnapped last time, remember?"

"I heard that Riku." Kairi said, though slightly pink from the 'girlfriend' comment. "Which is precisely the reason why I'm going with you guys, whether you like it or not!"

"Fine, but don't blame come running to me when Heartless or Nobodies or a deranged, rabid pineapple in a cocktail dress comes and attacks you!" Sora said aggravated as he walked back towards the boats. Kairi's face flashed in determination, though Riku caught a bit of dissapointment in her eyes.

"Don't worry." Riku said, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "He'll come around...he's completely powerless without you."

Kairi smiled in response, a silent thank-you to the silver-haired youth before she turned to the direction of the boats, new vigor shining in the glow of her genki attitude.

"Hey, you'll be running to me when your mom finds out you're leaving again on some life-threatening adventure!" Kairi yelled after him, following him to the docks.

Riku rolled his eyes at their extremely obvious, though shameless flirting. He ran a hand through his silver hair and stared at his two friends in the distance, who were now unwaringly holding hands. Riku sighed and look out towards the horizon, a sliver of gold now dipping behind the crystal water against a swirling backdrop of blue and orange hue.

The soft ocean breeze teased his hair as his eyes danced with hints of emotion. Despite his cool, calm, and collected nature, Riku wasn't completely cold and neutral...but right now, his weakness was apparent if anyone were to look deep into the cool, green depths of his eyes:

They echoed loneliness.

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Later that night, Sora laid back in his bed, thinking over the day's events. He leaned back into the pillows, closing his exhausted eyes. Under his eyelids, Kairi's face blithely smiled at him...the same smile she had given him when he returned to their island...

He sat up suddenly, an uncomfortable warmth rising in his face. Sora looked back in his rough, callused hand, the same one Kairi had laced her delicate fingers in.

"Jeez, I can't stop thinking about her...Duh, obviously." He rubbed his face in his hands in a vain attempt to soothe his inflamed cheeks. He sighed, then glanced outside his window towards the island...

"Huh?"

Sora saw a bright multi-coloured light float towards the island on the southern side. Blinking in surprise, sudden realization hit him. Hard.

Tossing off his sheets in a flash, he rushed around his room, tossing various items into a worn black backpack by his dresser. When he was done, he stood up to leave, backpack in hand, until he realized that he was still in his pajamas, which by the way looked like they were two sizes too small for him, and were blue patterned with clouds, though that's not completely relevant.

Sora groaned, got dressed in five minutes, wrote a quick note for his mom (who would probably tear the house down in rage for not cleaning his room again before he left, but he was going to go save the worlds...again...so it didn't really matter), and ran out the door to get to Riku and Kairi.

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"So Sora, not that I don't like sneaking out of my house at one in the morning due to you throwing pebbles at my window to go to the island, but what made you think that Kairi was going to take it well?" Riku asked his friend who was rowing the boat while trying to soothe the bump Kairi had given Sora when they snuck to her house.

Apparently, waking up Kairi in the A.M. to go on yet another quest, is not at all pleasant thing, especially when she has a beauty mask on and that the pebbles thrown at her window accidentally hit her head. She came down, saying nothing, until she pulled a hairbrush out of her backpack and hit Sora across his forehead.

"He put a crack in my window, and probably my skull too." Kairi had retorted in her defense, holding an ice pack against her head.

"Yeah, but it was an accident. You are so abusive Kairi." Sora pouted as he continued rowing. Kairi smirked, a rare thing on her usually cheery face, but continued to look malevolent as she poked Sora on the sore spot, causing him to howl in pain.

"You two act like an old married couple." Riku smirked, until Kairi hit him with her brush, while Sora was trying to hold back his giggles. Both teens were blushing though, and once again Riku rolled his eyes at their obvious attraction for each other.

Once they reached the docks, they ran across the beach towards the southern end. Sora's face broke out into a smile when he saw a familiar fowl reprimanding a dog-like man for doing something...goofy (A/n me no good with puns).

"Donald! Goofy!" Sora yelled as he ran towards his two comrades, tackling them with a hug.

"Sora! Good to see ya!" Goofy said as he stood up.

"Sora! No time for that! Save that for when we get to the Radiant Garden!" Donald said authoritively, even though he tried to hide his glee to see Sora.

"What are you talking about Donald? What's going on?" Sora exclaimed.

"No time! Get on the gummi! The King has to see you immediately!" Donald said as he pulled the three teenagers, one by one, into the ship, despite their complaining for rest and food.

"Wow!" Sora yelled as he entered into the cockpit. Even though it had been a period of only a few days, weeks maybe; he sorta lost count of how long it's been, Donald and Goofy made some upgrades for the Gummi, making the rocket seem even cooler than ever..

"Ya like Sora?" Goofy said as he stepped in front of the amazed teens who threw their things down and explored the cockpit, like little children in a candy shop.

"This is awesome! It's bigger than last time!" Sora said as he sat in the captain's seat, ready for lift-off.

"Yeah, and you should see the cabins and kitchen!" Kairi emerged from a door towards the back, holding up a bowl of strawberries that she began eating, the sweet, tart flavor flowing down her throat.

"Hey! Those are mine!" Donald yelled as he stomped towards Kairi. She stuck her tongue out at him, and dodged Donald towards Riku and Sora, whose stomaches rumbled loudly.

"Want one?" She asked the two boys who neglected to eat before they left. They nodded eagerly, and popped a couple of strawberries in their mouths, chewing noisily.

"Thanks, that should hold for a while—" Sora's stomach growled loudly, a sound equivalent to an explosive bark of Cereberus in the Underworld, and he blushed heavily, as everyone stared at him, wide-eyed. Even Riku looked terrified, of his friend's hunger, and he isn't easy to shake up. "Hehehe...sorry."

"You can eat when we lift off!" Donald replied sternly, tapping his foot.

"But Donald..." Sora whined.

"Now sit down in your seats lady and gentlemen! Cause we're lifting off!" Donald said as he hopped into his seat and fastened his seat belt. Sora sighed and sat down grudgingly, while Kairi and Riku sat in theirs.

"Now, can you inform us of the situation? It's kinda annoying and is making me anxious..." Riku inquired as he leaned his head against his fist, seemingly bored, but also interested in what was so urgent that he also needed to be dragged along.

"Now, Donald told ya, we'll tell ya at the Radiant Garden." Goofy said as he pressed some buttons on the control panel. The door slammed shut, and the entire ship rumbled.

Everyone felt the ship lift into the air, sand stirring outside on the beach. Sora looked outside the window, his island floating on the horizon. He pressed his hand against the glass, a small wave of sadness washing over him.

Riku glanced at his friend, sensing his grief. He shook Kairi who was nodding off, and motioned towards Sora. Kairi looked at the spiky-haired youth, and reached over to grab his hand. Sora looked at her in surprise, but then visibly relaxed as she smiled at him.

"Blast off!" Yelled Donald, and the ship propelled into the sky, a blinking sparkle on the navy blanket.

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King Mickey tapped his foot in anxious impatience in the large hall of the building that was once called the Hollow Bastion. Since the first adventure, the building had been covered in a thick layer of dust, with the bright blinding colours muted in grey, untouched as though tainted by the previous year's events. The Hollow Bastion restoration commitee left it that way, as though afraid of touching it, even when the Door to Darkness became inactive. The large portal to the sacred keyhole, however, was a multi-coloured spectrum of light; a light that should have gone out when Sora sealed the Heart of the world.

"Your Highness! Your Highness!" King Mickey turned to see Donald and Goofy running towards him, with three cranky, tired teenagers following them. They saluted before him, while Sora half-heartedly gave a feeble salute then yawned.

"Waz-z up?" Sora rubbed his head, then stretched out all the kinks in his muscles from the trip. King Mickey chuckled to himself, but then his face turned serious.

"Welp, I know y'all are tired, but right now, I need ya to come with me towards the portal to the keyhole!" King Mickey ran up the stairs to the balcony, and the others followed in pursuit.

The Door had changed from it's multi-coloured light to a bright-blue light, slowly forming into an orb as it pulled itself from the wall. The portal turned to stone, but the blue orb floated high above their heads, much to the confusion from down below.

"Why is it doing that?" Kairi asked as she continued to watch the light.

"We don't know, but we figured it be best to have all the Keyblade Masters here incase something were to happen." King Mickey said, summoning his golden Keyblade and his gloved hands, standing ready.

Sora shot a worried glance towards Kairi, who thankfully didn't see him as her own Keyblade made an appearance in her shaking hand.

Suddenly, the orb made a humming sound, as though a thousand heavenly voices were within it. The orb floated towards the ground, increasingly vibrating, shaking the whole building like an earthquake, dust and huge chunks of plater and stone falling from the vaulted ceiling.

"Maybe we should leave!" Donald yelled over the rumbling.

"No, wait!" Riku yelled, as the orb began to disintegrate. The light fell like water to the ground, and the rumbling came to a stop. In the dim light, Riku could see a shivering figure on the ground. "There's someone on the ground..."

"Hey Donald, can you give us some light?" Sora asked the wizard, who responded in making the tip of his staff burn bright with magical flame. The whole room filled with light, illuminating the figure.

On the broken tiles of the floor, lay a girl, probably around their age, with messy, spiky reddish-brown hair. Slowly, she stood up, her white dress wrinkled and soiled with dust. She stared at them with bright, blue eyes, as bright and beautiful as a crest of an ocean wave.

"Someone approach her..." Whispered the King. Sora nodded, and cautiously walked forward.

"Hey, are you okay?" Sora reached out to her with a hand. She glanced at his hand, then looking at him, unsure of what to do.

"It's okay...it's alright...don't be scared." The girl timidly stepped forward, her expression blank. She gently touched his hand, then grabbed it.

"Okay...and, um...oh yeah, my name's Sora..." Sora said as he carefully pulled the girl towards the group, but she held back. Sora looked back at her, his face blank as she stared at him, as if remembering something.

"Hey are you—" Sora didn't get the chance to finish, because he was thrown against the wall, much to the surprise of everyone. The girl continued to look at him blankly, holding out her hand as a bright light formed in it...

"No way..." Kairi said as she saw a Keyblade form in the girl's hands, but was none like she had seen Sora ever have. It had a huge heart on the end, and was in a swirled pattern, with a encircled heart as a keychain. She felt something tug at her heart as the girl held an offensive stance that seemed familiar...

Sora muttered under his breath, something about, 'Things can never be easy...', and held his Keyblade in his hands. He pulled a keychain out of his pocket, and clamped it to the end, turning the blade into the Oathkeeper. Both teens flew at each other, with Sora dashing towards the girl, whose expression was blank and emotionless through the whole time, flickered with slight determination.

_Right, left, right, jump up, dodge..._Sora was able to dodge with ease, and knocked the girl back, who stumbled but regained her balance. On instinct, Sora ran forward, about to hit her, but she dodged the impact before it crushed her.

The girl stopped for a split second, as if hearing someone, then glared at Sora. Sora stared at her, confused, but then she threw her blade at him. Sora's eyes widened in realization, and dodged in the last second. The girl's eyes widened as Sora ran to the girl and pinned her down to the ground.

Kairi watched the whole skirmish in concentration. Realization hit her as she realized the girl's moves were the same ones she had used against Sora when they fought. As Sora pinned the girl down, his face set in determination, she couldn't help but feel jealous that he fought harder with this mysterious girl than with wtih herself.

Suddenly, the girl pushed her feet under Sora and kicked him off, landing on his feet a yard away. Sora held his Keyblade in front of him defensively, when the girl's Keyblade disappeared in her hand and just stood there, her face back in her expressionless state.

"Sora!" Sora turned to see Kairi running towards him, concern in her eyes. He sheepishly grinned at her, then turned to the spiky red-head, who continued to stare at them.

"Who does this girl think she is? Challenging the Keyblade Master?" Donald said menacingly as he held his staff before him. Goofy held out his shield, also looking at the girl with a peculiar expression on his face. The girl stepped back, shaking as tears fell from her crystalline eyes.

"Well, now what do we do?" Kairi said, watching the girl with pity. "Look, she's crying..."

"Who cares? She tried to kill Sora!" Donald said angrily.

"I get the feeling she didn't mean it..." Kairi said with new confidence in her voice as she stepped away from the group and towards the girl, who was sitting on the ground, her face in her hands. She lightly touched the spiky strands of the strange females' hair, motherly in a sort of way that quieted the girl's sobs.

"It's okay..." The girl looked up at Kairi, who smiled down at the girl. "It's alright; no one's going to hurt you..."

The girl nodded slightly, and stood up to meet Kairi's gaze.

Bright blue met deep sapphire as the two girls stared at each other in equal height. Tears continued to flow from the girl's eyes, though they were slow and decreasing. Suddenly Kairi grabbed the girl's hand, and gently pulled her towards the group, who watched her movements with wary eyes.

"It's okay, she won't hurt anyone." Kairi said understandingly as the girl hid behind her. The guys slowly relaxed, and the girl looked curiously at them. After she emerged from Kairi's back, she fainted. Kairi bent down beside the girl, worried.

"It's okay, she's just fainted." King Mickey said when he saw Kairi's worried look. She sighed in relief, and looked at the guys. The guys looked back at her in confusion, and her face turned furious at their ability to be so clueless and ignorant.

"Help me with her!" She shrieked angrily when they continued to stare at her. The guys jumped at her sudden anger, then bent down to them.

"Who is she?" Donald asked Kairi.

"She didn't give her name—" Sora started but Kairi interrupted him.

"Her name is Miho." She said suddenly, still looking at the girl.

"How can ya tell?" Goofy asked as he stood beside the king.

"I don't know. The name just popped into my head, and I get the feeling that's her name anyway." Kairi responded as she brushed a few sweaty spiky strands from the girl's forehead.

"Well, we better get going. I had Leon and the gang set up some extra rooms in Merlin's house for us to stay for a while, but we'll bring Miho with us." King Mickey said as he looked at the girl on the floor, a peculiar expression on his face. Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Hey Riku," The silver-haired boy turned to Kairi, who was still beside the girl. "Can you carry her? I don't think I can drag her all the way to Leon's place..."

"Sure Kairi." Riku said as he knelt beside the girl, slipping his arms under her knees and her shoulders, carrying her bridal style. Miho whimpered slightly in her unconsciousness, and leaned into Riku. His green orbs widened, and Kairi saw this, and giggled.

"What?" Riku asked, turning to Kairi's slight smirk.

"Nothing Riku." Kairi smiled, and turned to catch up with Sora who was waiting at the staircase. Riku rolled his eyes, annoyed by Kairi's behavior, readjusted his grip on Miho, then followed Sora and Kairi down the staircase.

A/n Okay! This is the first chapter of The Farther Journey. Like I said, this story does not mean I'm quitting on YEWYD or CoM. That would be a sin on my part. So I hope you'll treat this story right. Also, please review, because that makes me a very happy writer and all constructive critism will be taken to heart. Flames will be used to roast marshmellows. I hope that deleting this story once will bring more reviews, and I'm determined to update my other stories as well. Don't think I won't take your reviews seriously; just ask ShadowSeer, who is the most loyal reviewer I can ever ask for..._'sniffs_' and he's cool.

Remember what I said about reviewing!


	2. The Daughter

A/n Hi! I just feel so inspired since the world survived through June 6th, 2006! So far, I have only a handful of hits, with 1 REVIEW! But that won't bring me down. I just feel like doing the next chapter...also, those who are familiar with YEWYD, guess what! The next chapter is coming up next Saturday, so I hope y'all will forgive me...hey, its summer, so I finally have time!

Sora: But I though you liked us better.

Spider: I like Invader Zim just a little more than you all, but I still love you Sora.

Zim: Besides, I'm so much better than you stinky key-wielding earth babies!

Riku: At least we're not short and green...

Zim: You dare invoke the wrath of ZIM! (pulls out giant laser)

(Riku pulls out Way to the Dawn and starts fighting with Zim)

Kairi: Maybe you should just start the story before this gets...

Spider: ...horribly graphic for the readers?

Kairi: Yeah...something like that... (watches in horror as Zim starts pulling Riku's gorgeous hair)

Spider: NO! Sora, can you do the honors?

Sora: Sure! Now introducing the next chapter of The Farther Journey!

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Chapter 2: The Daughter

"...And this room is for Sora and Riku." Yuffie said happily as she opened the door to their room in the magically renovated house that belonged to Merlin.

"Nice..." Sora said as he inspected the room. It had bunks and a bathroom, but also included a computer.

"What's the computer for?" Riku asked as he threw his backpack on the lower bunk.

"I dunno, but it sure is nice, isn't it? I think Cid put it in here with you for personal needs or something like that or you can chat with Tron...well, goodnight!" The hyper girl said in a flash, then closed the door, leaving the two boys alone and confused in the ninja girl's hyperness that vaguely reminded them of Selphie.

"Dibs on the top!" Sora yelled as he scrambled to the top bed. Riku rolled his eyes, and fell back on the bottom, staring at the bottom of the top bunk, creaking under Sora's weight.

"Remember when I said I was jealous of you, Sora? I take that back."

Sora poked his spiky brown head from the top bunk, frowning at the silver-haired boy.

"At least my hair doesn't make me look like a girl. Ever heard of scissors?" The pouting boy retorted as Riku glared at him.

"And this is coming from the boy who pouts like a girl, has unbelievably long eyelashes, and frets whenever he smells like dirt."

"Excuse me for caring about my hygiene." Sora said as he hopped from the top bunk and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Riku inquired as Sora stood in the doorway.

"Gonna go see Kairi; I think I'll go try to—"

"Tell her how much you feel like tasting papou fruit?" Riku smirked as the younger boy flushed bright red, and gave Riku a look that rivaled Donald's in a mix of indescribable frustration and embarrassment.

"Shut up. At least I don't—"

"Have a brain to come up with a better comeback." Riku finished innocently, chancing a chuckle before he felt a fluffy softness of a pillow come in direct contact with his pale face.

"Quit doing that." Sora stepped out into the hallway, and disappeared from sight.

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Kairi brushed her hair after she changed into a light pink nightgown, the darkness of the room combining with the fabric making Kairi look like a pale ghost. She looked at Miho, who Kairi insisted to a worried Yuffie that she stay in her room. She didn't know why, but the girl seemed awfully familiar to her.

Miho curled into the sheets of the twin-sized bed across from her own bed, a slight frown adorning her features. Kairi looked at her in curiosity before setting down the brush to get into her own bed when she was interrupted by a knock at the door.

Kairi sighed irritably, slightly annoyed, but opened the door anyway to find a slightly flustered Sora.

"Sora? What're doing here?" Kairi asked in surprise.

"Well...um...I-I just wan-wanted to check...up on you..." Sora finished timidly, struggling to get his words out without sounding like an idiot, which he was pretty much succeeding at.

She giggled in response due to his flustered ness, which he mistook as a sign of her wanting him to leave. He rubbed the back of his head, mumbling incoherent apologetic babble under his breath and started down the hallway.

"Wait Sora!" Kairi said a little too loudly when she realized he was leaving. He turned, surprised, to see her pale face flushed crimson.

"Yeah?" Sora turned back to Kairi, unnoticeably observing her attire. Pink flowing nightgown with her hair fluttered around her face; cute, and somewhat ethereal.

Sora mentally slapped himself for becoming so pleasantly distracted.

"Well, you were the one who came to my door...so what?" Kairi replied, starting to confuse herself as to who had the lead in this conversation. Obviously, both teens were getting no where.

"How about we talk in your room?" Sora asked, slightly timid, hoping Kairi wouldn't take his request as some sort of perverted excuse to get inside her room...which it wasn't.

"Sure." Kairi pulled him inside, much to Sora's surprise and shock when he saw Miho in the room, sleeping in the other bed.

"I'm a little worried about her..." Kairi said quietly, brushing a few strands out of the girl's face.

"Well, she hasn't tried anything, has she?" Sora inquired, studying Miho's face. Her skin was slightly pale, despite her tanned appearance, and her reddish brown hair was in tangles.

"No...but Sora, do you get the feeling we've met her somewhere before?"

Sora was still looking at Miho's face. True, she did look familiar in a sense, but he couldn't precisely put his finger on it.

"Well...I get this feeling...but it's probably nothing. Besides, I don't remember seeing her on the island when we were younger, or anytime in our life..."

"Well, you didn't remember Namine either, but then she immersed herself in your memories at Castle Oblivion..." Kairi's voice had an edge of bitterness, remembering when the blonde-haired girl replaced Kairi's place in Sora's memories with herself. She couldn't help but feel a bit jealous of her, even though Namine was her Nobody.

_I'm sorry for what I did..._

Kairi's negative emotions melted away, a smile on auto-pilot spreading across her face as she heard Namine's whispered apology.

"Hmm...this feeling is different, somehow. Argh, this is confusing." Sora rubbed his temples, fighting off the beginnings of a headache.

"I told you not to think too hard, you'll hurt yourself." Kairi smirked as Sora gave her a pout.

"Well, back to the matter at hand now, _mom_. Who is she?"

At that moment, Miho's eyes snapped opened, startling the two. She sat up slowly, watching Sora and Kairi with a curious expression on her face. Miho opened her mouth, as if about to say something, then quickly rushed from the bed and latched herself to Kairi's arm, hiding behind her figure.

"Hey, what's she doing?"

"I think she's afraid of you Sora...its okay, he won't hurt you." Kairi said gently to the girl, but she stubbornly, flat-out refused to reveal herself.

"..." Miho stared at Kairi, coming from behind her after a few seconds. She stared into Kairi's sapphire blue orbs, as if trying to recollect a memory from within her. Out of the blue, she pulled the red-haired girl into a bone-crushing hug, shaking, much to the confusion of the two teens.

Kairi, unsure of what to do, pat her gently on the back, all the while Miho clung on tighter, her arms wrapped tightly around Kairi's. Kairi looked at Sora briefly for some kind of assistance, but froze as a single solitary word fell from the once-silent girl's lips; a gentle sound as pure as the first word of a child.

"Mama..."

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Riku watched in confusion, as he was observing the entire scene from the doorway. Sora was just standing there, mouth agape at what Miho just muttered. Kairi, as if by some unknown force, began to gently hug Miho back, confused sobs threatening to spill over as her voice began to crack.

"What...did she just say?" Sora mumbled, his voice somehow gaining control back in his throat.

"I think she just called Kairi 'mama'." Riku said, stating the obvious. Kairi continued to hold Miho, without any questioning or talking much for that matter.

"Miho..." Kairi pulled away from the bright-eyed girl, giving her a hard stare, as if testing her. "What did you just say?"

Miho stared at her confused.

"Mama?" The word reverberated off the wooden walls, an echo that rang through their brains.

An awkward silence hung in the air, Miho in between them with such a look of pure curiosity that Kairi just wanted to shake some sense into her.

Now, Kairi was not a stranger to sarcasm. When they were younger, she would often be the one to take charge when Sora's and Riku's antics got them into loads of trouble. The red-haired gal was often the one dragging them home by curfew, which usually led to some sarcastic 'yes, _mom_.'

But somehow, hearing a word that was probably one of the most important words in the human dictionary for a child, come from a mysterious girl that fell out of the blue (quite literally, Kairi reminded herself) had awakened new and sudden emotions in Kairi's heart that she couldn't explain.

It filled her mind and led her to a state of panic, but in the back of all the strangeness, she felt a quiet joy.

"Feh, how about that? Her first word." Riku said as he strode over to Kairi, shaking her shoulder to wake her up from her reverie. Kairi just blinked, and sat down on the bed with a soft plop.

"Kairi, are you okay?" Sora sat by her, concern painting his features while he gave Miho a fleeting glance of suspicion.

She shook her head slowly, her eyes glazed over in an almost zombie-like state.

"She's joking."

"Huh?" Kairi's head snapped up to Riku's face, his mouth set somewhere in between a nervous smile, and a grim frown.

"She heard Sora say 'mom', so she's just mimicking what he said. Plain and simple as that."

"Oh..." A wave of relief fell over Kairi, who feebly laughed at herself for getting so worked up. Miho, still looking at them all, dropped her attention to her feet, and began to play with her toes like a toddler.

"She's weird..." Sora said, watching Miho play with her feet with an amused expression on his face. She then grossed them out by putting her foot in her mouth. "Ewww..."

"Not like it's nothing you haven't done before Sora." Riku snickered, watching Sora's face turn beet-red.

"I would not!" The younger boy retorted.

"Would so, your mom has pictures of you doing all that weird stuff when we were really young, like playing in the sand, running nude on the island, and sticking your feet in your mouth...oh yeah, and scratching your ankle like crazy because of this weird birthmark you had..."

"Okay, so I did do that stuff..."

"Sora..." Kairi said, a quiet look spreading over her features. "Can I take a look at your birthmark?"

"Uh...sure." He unzipped his yellow shoe on his right foot, exposing an oddly shaped birthmark distinctly shaped like a star.

"Oh yeah, I remember now. Your mom has the same birthmark on her leg too. Probably hereditary." Riku stated, recalling how many times he asked Sora's mom if it was really a birthmark and not a tattoo.

"Look." Kairi said tonelessly, motioning towards Miho. Sora knelt down beside Kairi, who lifted Miho's tattered dress. Sora's bright orbs widened.

There on her ankle, a blemish on her undoubtedly perfect skin was the same star-shaped birthmark.

Now it was Sora's turn to fall back in shock, his eyes fixed on the child-like girl who now began to run her hands over the star on her flesh. All three just stared at Miho, who blithely ignored them, an innocent smile gracing her face as she laughed as she accidentally tickled her foot.

"It's the same."

"No shit." Riku spat out, getting slightly annoyed because of the continued awkward silences.

"It's the same." Sora repeated dumbly.

It was at that moment the slow trio put two and two together, realization hitting them like a million megatons of gummi material plummeting on their heads.

"I think I know why she looks so familiar..." Riku said slowly and carefully, as though struggling with an internal battle with himself.

"Why?" Kairi gulped, secretly afraid of where this realization was going. She just prayed she was wrong on so many levels of strangeness.

Riku kneeled down to the girl and played with a single strand of her spiky brown-red hair.

"She's your daughter."

The bomb dropped and exploded.

An awkward silence once again filled the room, save Miho's giggles as Riku still absentmindedly continued to play with her hair.

Sora suddenly found his voice as he picked up his mouth from shock at this new information.

"C'mon...Miho is Kairi's...daughter?" Sora laughed nervously, his voice cracking and hoarse.

"Well, she does kinda look like Kairi..." Riku replied, causing Sora to narrow his eyes in anger.

"Okay _genius_, if Kairi is Miho's mom, who is the...father?" Sora finished, his voice quieted.

Kairi sat up, staring at the two boys, a faint blush rising on her pale face.

"Don't you get it Sora?" Kairi's voice shaking, half from embarrassment, half from pure excitement.

"Tanned skin, crystal blue eyes...star-shaped birthmark."

Kairi looked down at Miho, who was now staring at them in child-like curiosity.

"Well then...who?"

"Damn it Sora! Even I'm not that dense!" Riku yelled out of frustration. He grabbed Sora by the shoulders and shook him despite his protests.

"Look at her! Look. At. Her." Riku stared at Sora, as if trying to burn the answer into his sky-blue orbs.

"She's your daughter. You, Sora, are her father."

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A/n OMFG! Sora and Kairi have a child? How is this possible? I did not even predict this...oh, wait, yes I did, teehee. ANYWAY, before people start throwing stuff at me, just remember: Cookies ARE NOT your friends! They plan to rule the world with their cheap commercials involving T.K.E.W.D.S.A.N.W.S. otherwise known as: THE KEEBLER ELVES WORLD DOMINATION SOCIETY AND NUCLEAR WEAPONS SUPPLIER. They cannot be trusted...along with all Oompa Loompas and Gremlins.

In order for T.D.V.W.O.T.P.O.F. (aka THE DARK VAMPIRE WARRIORS OF THE PROTECTION OF FANFICTION), to fight the Cookie Menace, there needs to be as many reviews as possible for us to power our lasers of Doom. We hope you can support our cause by leaving as many reviews as possible.

Do it for the fans. The future of potatoes depends on it.


	3. The Caretaker

A/n Here is chapter 3! So SORRY that YEWYD isn't up yet. Been busy with Driver's Ed. Not fun.

Disclaimer: Still doesn't belong to me. Riku is still all by his lonesome and I'm not married to Axel or Demyx. Or both.

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Chapter 3: The Caretaker.

"WHAT?" Donald yelled. His feathers were standing on end in shock, and Goofy was rubbing his nose in embarrassment. Mickey looked a little confused, and the teen trio was looking embarrassed.

"She's ou-our..." Sora stuttered, feeling his face fill with uncomfortable warmth. Riku nudged him to continue, but Sora's voice died in his throat.

"She's our...daughter." Kairi said simply, though she could not hide the fact that her face was a mix of pure embarrassment and confusion.

"WHAT?" Donald yelled once again.

"Don't make her say it again! I'm having enough trouble trying to comprehend the fact that I have a kid at fifteen!" Sora yelled, his naivety thrown out the window.

Sora realized what he said, and dropped his head so none would see his blushing face.

"Good thing Yuffie and them all are asleep. Yuffie would love poking fun at you right now." Riku snickered.

Miho, who was sitting down on the bed after the whole situation happened, stood up suddenly and started to poke Riku in the arm. He looked curiously at her, but she just kept poking him.

"Um...Miho, can you please stop?" Kairi asked.

Miho blinked her eyes, but kept on poking Riku, her dainty hands poking him further up his arm up to his bicep. In curiosity, she grabbed his arm and started flexing it, much to Riku's discomfort.

"Please stop Miho-chan." Kairi said in a more stern voice, but Miho suddenly slipped her fingers in between Riku's, interlocking their hands. Miho looked up at Riku, whose face was suddenly tinged pink, his green eyes widening a bit.

"Ri...ku."

Yet again, a more awkward silence passed. All that was left was crickets chirping...

"KNOCK IT OFF JIMINY!" Sora yelled suddenly, causing everyone to jump.

"Sorry Sora." A little voice replied.

"Anyway..." Sora calmed down, his voice level back to normal. "She just said Riku's name!"

"Uh huh..." Kairi shook her head, watching as Riku looked at Miho like she had grown two heads.

"So..." Everyone turned to King Mickey. "When did all this...um...happen?"

"Well...we kinda noticed that Miho looked familiar and we noticed she kinda looked like Kairi—" Sora started, but Donald interrupted him.

"So? That doesn't mean anything!"

"She has Sora's birthmark!" Riku replied, pulling up Sora's foot (making him fall flat on his back by the way) and showing the confused fowl the mark on Sora's ankle.

"She did seem sorta familiar when we first saw 'er." Goofy said, scratching his chin in though. "Also, she does have a Keyblade, so that means she has to have some sort of relation to Sora."

Miho looked back and forth between each member of the group, who had been ignored since she said Riku's name and they began their conversation again.

"Okay...as confusing as it is, we'll have to finish this in the morning..." Mickey yawned toward the end, slurring his words slightly. "It's too late to try to figure out Miho's existence now."

Everyone agreed, realizing how late it was, and started back to their respective rooms. Miho, however, clung to Riku's arm to his surprise.

"Riku." Miho said quietly, her pink lips moving ever so slightly in the dim light.

Riku looked down at her, his pale face growing warm, suddenly thankful that the lights weren't bright enough to see his blush. Her bright blue eyes looked innocently at his face, and her grip around his arm tightened.

"What's the matter Miho?" He inquired, brushing some hair out of her face without thinking. He was surprised; despite its tangled appearance, it was feather soft and framed her face perfectly.

"Riku?"

The silver-haired boy looked up in surprise, seeing Mickey smirk at him in slight amusement.

"Yes your Majesty?"

"I need to ask a favor of you." Mickey strode towards him, his face becoming serious.

"Um...what is it?" Riku felt Miho's grip tighten on his bicep even more, a pain spreading as she dug her fingernails into his flesh. For some reason, Riku mused, Miho was frightened...

...of King Mickey.

"We don't know much about this girl, and it seems like a crazy idea that she may be in fact Sora's and Kairi's daughter."

"But your Majesty..."

"But still, we don't know much, but we do know that she has a Keyblade, and she appeared out of the Door to Darkness. If she is who you think she is, she may have come from the future."

"The future, your Majesty?" Riku's tone was skeptical. "Don't you think that's a little over the top?"

"You forget Riku, after everything we've been through, you shouldn't keep your mind so closed." Mickey replied, scratching his head.

"I suppose you're right...but you still haven't asked about that favor..."

"I'm getting to that. If she did in fact come from the future, her memories may have been lost or altered, along with, as it looks like now, her gift of speech. If we are to recover her memories and find out where she came from, we need to go with the first step and teach her how to talk."

"And I think I know where this is going. You want me to play teacher, don't you?"

"Welp, if that's what you want to call it, then yep."

"Great." Riku muttered.

"Not only that, but I will need you to be her caretaker."

"What?" Riku looked at the small king, slightly exasperated. "Now you want me to be her nanny? Shouldn't her _parents_ do that?"

"Of course; they're going to help you take care of Miho, but she's your primary responsibility."

"Why me, your Majesty? Why not Goofy or Donald? What about Yuffie or Leon? Or even Aerith? What about Cloud? I'm sure he loves kids!" Riku said quickly, making it sound more desperate than intended.

"I'm sure that Cloud will make a _great babysitter_ (if he doesn't chop them up first or make them cry with his cold glare) but the thing is, I want you to take care of her." Mickey said sternly.

"And I'm asking why."

"Because Riku! Riku, Miho showed up and appeared out of nowhere!" Mickey yelled, surprising Riku and causing Miho to grip his arm more tightly, most likely drawing blood. "Doesn't that seem a little suspicious to you? The fact is, we don't know much about her, and she could be in fact dangerous!"

"Dangerous?"

"Yes, and the reason I need you to keep an eye on her is because if anything happens, you can take care of it and quickly!" Mickey said with finality in his serious tone, his voice suddenly cold.

Riku was taken back. It was rare that he ever heard the King raise his voice in such a manner, or speak so coldly about anything. He gulped slightly, unconsciously pushing Miho behind him out of Mickey's view.

That's right folks. Cool, calm and collected Riku gulped.

Mickey stepped down the hall and out of sight, leaving Riku and Miho in the dark. Riku let out a long-awaited sigh and looked at Miho, who now, finally, loosened her grip on his arm, leaving angry red welts where her fingers pressed into his skin.

"C'mon Miho." Riku said quietly, gently taking her by the hand. She followed; her small hand in his, down the hallway towards Kairi's room to send her to bed.

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The next morning was Hell.

Quite literally, in fact.

As soon as everyone ate breakfast, King Mickey had explained that Riku was going to be Miho's nanny. This resulted in 3 events happening:

One: Everyone stared at Riku for a good few seconds before snickering that led to a full-blown rebellion of laughter. Aerith giggled uncontrollably and even Cloud cracked an amused, wry smile.

Two: Sora kept giving Riku suspicious glares. When Riku questioned his friend about it, Sora merely said, "Not good enough.", and walked away, much to Riku's confusion.

Three: Kairi and Yuffie decided it was their duty as fellow girls to get Miho some new clothes, and proceeded to take her shopping at the market. Since Miho was now Riku's responsibility, he was dragged along as well.

Which, in Riku's opinion, was the most unpleasant experience he ever had, even more than when Xehanort's Heartless took over his mind.

"Hey Riku, we need a guy's opinion. Which is better, pink or blue?" Yuffie held up two blouses, and much to Riku's distaste, were frilly and full of bows.

"I dunno. You pick." He said simply, wishing there was some sort of Heartless attack about this second.

"C'mon Riku! Quit being such a killjoy." Kairi retorted as she held up a violet dress against Miho. "Do you think this is cute?"

"Kai..." Riku whined, using his childhood nickname for his friend. "There is a reason why I would trick Sora into going shopping with you in the past! I. Hate. Shopping."

"Well, considering your fashion sense, we could tell." Yuffie smirked as both girls started giggling. Riku pulled a Sora and pouted in a child-like manner.

"Shut up."

Miho looked through the racks of clothing, having no clue what she was doing. While Kairi and Yuffie were teasing Riku, she wandered towards a small, red-brick shop with several outfits in the display window. Curious, Miho went inside.

Inside the shop, there were racks upon racks of complete outfits, and accessories hanging on the walls and set on display. There were all sorts of materials and cloths, all used for making clothes.

"Hello." Miho spun around to see a young woman with curly black hair and dark brown eyes. She seemed to be in her mid-twenties, and looked at Miho with a friendly smile. "May I help you?"

Miho, of course who couldn't talk, just looked at the woman curiously.

"Um..." The woman was taken back by the girl's silence, but continued to smile. "I assume you are here for clothes?"

"Clothes...please." Miho said slowly and uncertainly. The woman smiled brightly and took Miho by the hand.

"Of course, young miss. Welcome to my shop, and I would be more than happy to design you something." The woman had Miho sit down on a chair, and the woman began to get started.

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"I can't believe it! My first time as a mother, and I lost my child!" Kairi wailed as Yuffie tried to calm her down.

About an hour after they stopped looking in the shop (Riku got into a fight with a hairdresser who wanted to chop his silvery locks, and then Yuffie decided not to let Riku have all the fun, and then Kairi got mad and knocked out the hairdresser with her bag), they noticed that Miho went missing. They looked and looked, but no trace was found.

"Kairi calm down! We'll find Miho, I promise." Yuffie said, rubbing Kairi's shoulders.

Riku ran a tired hand through his hair and sighed. His first day as a caretaker, and he blew it. He sure was going to get it from the King now...

He looked towards the cobblestone street, watching the people stroll by. A few girls were standing around two people, giggling and cooing over the two. One was a black-haired woman, and the other was...

"Miho!" Riku yelled, running over to the group. Kairi and Yuffie followed suit, relief painting their faces.

"Oh, do you know this young girl?" Inquired the black-curled woman as Riku came to them. "She just wandered into my shop."

"Thank you so much for finding her. I hope she wasn't too much trouble." Kairi said, apologetic.

"Oh, she was no trouble at all, though I did mistake her as a customer." The woman smiled.

"Customer?" Kairi asked.

"Oh yes, I make full complete outfits at my shop. I say, she was so polite but shy...I had a ball designing clothes for her...she was the perfect model." The woman laughed, much to Riku's and Kairi's confusion.

The group of girls walked off and revealed Miho standing awkwardly. Kairi's and Yuffie's eyes sparkled and they rushed over to Miho.

"Oh, Miho looks so cute!" Kairi gushed.

"When this lady said she looked good, she wasn't kidding! This design was practically made for her!" Yuffie said as she circled Miho, admiring the work and design of Miho's new clothes.

"She was so shy when she entered my shop...but she is rather adorable." The woman sighed. "She reminds me of my own daughter..."

"Anyway, how much will all this cost miss...?" Riku asked nervously. A custom made outfit would probably swallow up all his munny...

"Bianca, and don't worry about it. It's on the house...I say, she certainly is getting a lot of attention..."

Riku turned and noticed many boys were practically swarming Miho and giving her many compliments and being _way too friendly_. Riku glared at the group of boys and practically stomped over to where they were standing.

"Excuse me, but you'll need to go now." Riku said smoothly as he grabbed Miho's hand. She made a face of what looked like relief, but the boys weren't so easy to get rid of.

"Where do you get off?" One boy yelled at Riku.

"Yeah, what are you, her _boyfriend_?" One muscled young man said menacingly.

"More like her nanny..." Riku muttered but looked at the group of young men with a strange look in his eye. He held out his hand, and The Way to the Dawn clasped itself in his fingers in a flash of light. The boys jumped back suddenly surprised at this display, but looked more curious than frightened.

"So what's with the fancy sword then, wuss? You gonna fight me with it?" The muscular boy said, cracking his knuckles. Riku smirked, strode over to a small pile of metal works, and swung them at least a mile into the air with one swing of his blade.

The boys sat back, unimpressed, until Riku jumped after them with effortless force. When he reached them, he suddenly began to quickly slice through the junk, light swishing through the air. Metal clashed with metal, sparks flying as Riku started to push himself faster and faster in order to keep his form up in the cold, brisk wind. He moved smoothly and surely, his silvery hair catching the sun and made him look as though he were bathed in light moving faster than any normal person would.

A crowd had gathered below and started watching the display. Miho, amidst all the people, including Kairi and Yuffie ("He's just showing off for the crowd, he loves the limelight."), watched with wonder as she watched Riku move deftly, and finally falling towards the ground as the remaining bits of metal sparkled in the sky like glittering diamond dust.

The crowd cheered and Riku landed perfectly on his feet, now smirking in triumph as the young man glared at him in stupidity.

"I wouldn't fight you at all. As far as I'm concerned, you couldn't last five minutes with me, a Keyblade wielder." Riku said with finality, pointing his Keyblade at the man. The man gulped, losing his cool, and walked away, muttering something about, "Silvery-haired freaks who fight with giant keys..."

Slowly the crowd dissipated, leaving the group alone. Yuffie congratulated Riku for defying the laws of gravity and certain physics while Kairi scowled and reprimanded Riku for showing off.

"Honestly Riku that is probably one of the most reckless things you have ever done." Kairi said, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Hey, it's my job to take care of Miho, and you expect me to sit back and watch a bunch of hormonally-challenged punks harass her?" Riku rubbed his ear in pain after Kairi started pulling it.

"I bet you were just trying to show off for her!" Yuffie said slyly as Riku's eyes narrowed.

"As if."

"Well, we better get going. It's almost lunch." Yuffie said as she checked her watch.

"C'mon Miho, let's go show everyone your new outfit!" Kairi squealed cheerfully as she pulled Miho by the hand. Riku sighed, and followed the girls and then stopped.

He just got a _real _good look at Miho's outfit.

She wore a pink tank with a swirled heart on it, much like the one that decorated her Keyblade. She wore a pair of green knee-length shorts that sat on her hips with an array of belts that shifted slightly with every step. She wore striped black and white stockings and on her feet were blue boots similar to Kairi's. She also wore a pair of black and white striped arm warmers that had holes for her thumbs and fingers. To top it all off, there was a simple blue ribbon tied like a headband that set off her bright blue eyes.

Now Riku had seen a lot of cute girls back on the island (most sought after male voted in yearbook, thank you very much), but all seemed to pale in comparison when he laid eyes on Miho. He felt...different. If that were even possible.

He shook his head, convincing himself he was just tired from showing off (hehehe...) and followed the girls, trying not to think too much about how cute Miho looked in her new clothes.

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"As Miho's father, I think it is rather inappropriate for our daughter to dress with her midriff showing." Sora said sternly. Ever since their discovery, he had been acting strange...even more than usual.

"Awwww...but Sora! Look at her, she looks so cute!" Kairi said as Miho twirled around in her outfit.

"It suits her perfectly. Maybe I should go see this lady for some more clothes..." Aerith said as she smiled at Miho.

"She's one pretty girl. Riku, you lucky dog!" Cid slung his arm over Riku's shoulders, much to the teen's discomfort.

"It's not like that..." He muttered darkly, but of course, no one heard him.

"Anyway, it's my turn to cook!" Yuffie squealed. Leon immediately turned pale, and walked out the door towards the Bailey.

"Squall isn't too fond of the missy's cooking..." Cid muttered to the others while Yuffie bounced to the kitchen. "As much of a great ninja she is, she can't cook to save her life."

"I heard that Cid!"

From down the hall, Mickey came in with Donald and Goofy, who were deeply immersed in some sort of argument.

"Welp, I heard lunch was soon, so I'd thought I'd help." Mickey said cheerfully.

"Thank God...we're saved." Cid gasped dramatically. Everyone started piling into the next room, but Mickey held Riku and Miho back.

"Hey Riku, while we're getting lunch ready, why don't you go give Miho a few talkin' lessons?"

"Yes your Majesty." Riku said without complaint. Mickey smiled and walked into the next room with the others. When the mini-King left the room, Riku sighed loudly, and led Miho into the living room.

"Okay Miho...looks like I'm going to teach you how to talk..." Riku sat Miho down and sat down in front of her. "Mind you, I've never taught anyone anything..." Riku muttered to himself.

"Riku, Riku, Riku." Miho said, causing Riku to slap his forehead.

"This is going to be harder than I thought..." The young man mumbled, then decided to start with the basics.

"Okay..." Riku looked at the blue-eyed girl straight in the eyes. He pointed to himself. "My name is Riku."

"My name is Riku." Miho mimicked, pointing to herself.

"No, your name is Miho." Riku said, pointing to her.

"No, your name is Miho."

"No, no." Riku spoke through his gritted teeth. _Be patient, be patient. She doesn't know how to speak. Be patient._ Unfortunately, young Riku is not known for his patience, and often threw temper tantrums when he was a child.

"Miho." He pointed at her. "Miho."

She stared at him blankly.

"Mi..." She pointed at herself. "Miho..."

Riku smiled out of relief. He didn't want to scare her with his anger.

"Riku." She pointed at him, but then moved her hand up to lightly cup his face. A soft tinge of pink painted his face, his turquoise eyes widening. She lightly traced his jawbone with her fingertips, like light kisses on his pale skin.

"Yeah." He smiled. "Riku."

"Riku." Miho repeated one more time, her hands sliding off his face. He blinked, and then cleared his throat in embarrassment.

_What am I doing?_

"Okay...um..." Riku searched his mind quickly, but found everything to be muddled and fuzzy.

_Okay, now I'm losing it._ Riku mentally slapped himself, and then proceeded to teach Miho more words.

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A/n This is it! You know the drill! Please review! Do it for the potatoes! Do you want the Keebler Elves to take over the world? Heck, no! So review please.


	4. The Learning

A/n Here is the next chapter of FJ! Now, not only will you get some Riku/Miho goodness, but there shall be some serious Kairi/Sora fluff here! I'm just that kinda person; to me, Sora and Kairi are destined.

I also have a soft spot for Riku/Namine, but like Kairi/Sora, Roxas and Namine are meant to be together no matter what. How come they didn't put Rinoa in for Squall in the game? I would have been so happy, but alas, they didn't.

Now that I'm done with my little Kingdom Hearts pairings rant, let's just get on with the story, shall we?

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts. Axel still faded away, and Riku hasn't declared his undying love for me. Sora still hasn't kissed Kairi, and Roxas and Namine still aren't their own.

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Chapter 4: The Learning

Riku was astounded.

It was just a span of a few _hours_, and Miho already learned more words than he would learn in a year of his life. She could name food, everyone's names, basic greetings, names of objects, and even a few swear words (Kairi was not pleased), compliments of Cid.

And Miho still couldn't say Riku's name the_ right_ way.

She would say it over and over and over again, her voice echoing on the walls of the house, saying it with a childish emphasis that drove Riku up the wall, making him wonder if she will ever say it normally.

It was either that, or she was very much aware of what she was doing, and was now using her newly acquired hyper nature to her advantage.

"Riku...Riku...Riku...Riku...Riku...Riku...Riku...Riku...Riku...Riku...Riku..." Miho leaned by his ear, parting the silvery strands so she could let her voice carry into his head, something inside snapping.

"Miho..." Riku said very gently, pushing her hand away and turning around, seeing her innocent face blink at his actions.

It wasn't as if she weren't aware of her actions. She was _very_ aware.

And she still couldn't remember anything, much to King Mickey's disappointment. But more on that later.

"Ri...ku...?" A strange quirking of her lips, something that twitched into a small smirk.

"Miho..." Riku kept his voice steady, holding her shoulders gently, trying not to make any sudden movements. "Will you _please_ say my name right?"

"Okay...Ri-KU." Putting a strong emphasis on the last syllable of his name, causing the silver-haired boy to grit his teeth in impatience, standing up and leaving the room.

Honestly, she was a handful.

Riku strode down the hallway to look for Sora, who was sitting on top of his bunk, his feet draped off one end. Riku sighed, and peeked over the edge, looking at Sora.

"What are you thinking?"

"Huh?" The blue-eyed boy looked over to his best friend, leaning his chin on his folded arms.

"I asked, what are you thinking?" Riku repeated, rolling his eyes.

"Nothing." Sora sat back on the bed, sighing tiredly.

"Okay, fine then."

"ARGH!" Sora jumped from the bed and tackled Riku, a feat that would have surely broken his neck. Riku's chin was pressed hard onto the wooden floor, Sora sitting on his back. "You're supposed to try to pry whatever's bothering me outta me!"

"I will if you would...PLEASE GET OFF OF ME!" Riku yelled, bucking Sora off his back, the cinnamon-haired boy slamming into the wall in front of him. Sora sat up, pouting at Riku, who had a hard scowl on his face.

"You're worse than your daughter..." Riku stood up, straightening his back. "No wonder where she gets it from..."

Sora didn't answer, his face set in a sad sort. Riku blinked, wondering what was troubling his friend.

"Sora...what's wrong?"

"..." Sora shifted uncomfortably, trying to look away from Riku. Unfortunately, Riku would have none of that.

"Sora?"

Sora looked at Riku out of the corner of his eye.

"YAH!" In one moment, Riku was upon Sora, pulling the poor boy into a headlock. Sora struggled greatly, letting out a string of un-Sora-like swears from his mouth while Riku smirked.

"I won't let you go until you let me know what's wrong!" Riku yelled, keeping a tight grip on Sora while trying to avoid being hit in the face.

"Quit it Riku! I don't wanna talk about it!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"ALRIGHT!" Sora fell limp, gently prying Riku's arms from around his head. "I'm...thinking about...Kairi..."

"..." Riku sat next to Sora on the bed, looking at his best friend with concern. He was wondering when _this_ was going to happen.

They couldn't put it off any longer. If Miho really is Sora and Kairi's daughter from the future, then that really meant...

"You are going to talk to her, aren't you?" Riku asked.

"What would you say to Kairi if you found out you were going to marry her in the future?" Sora retorted, but obviously it was a bad question to ask. Riku sat awkwardly, not looking directly at the sky-eyed boy. "Sorry Riku."

"I am over her. I don't know why you worry so much."

"But—"

Riku held up a hand. "Let me finish. I was jealous of how close you and Kairi were. I'll admit it; I may have felt something for her. But our past experiences prove who she really cares about...and I couldn't bear to stand in the way of that."

"Riku..."

"Besides Sora, if it were up to me, Kairi would still like you, no matter what." Riku finished, a gentle smile aimed at Sora.

"...thanks." Sora smiled. "So...do you really think I should talk to her?"

"If you don't, she might have already heard you from the hallway..." Riku smirked as Sora snapped his attention to a certain red-head peaking her head in their room, looking guilty for spying. "I'll leave you two alone."

As Riku left the room, he nudged Kairi inside, closing the door behind him. Kairi's eyes met Sora's, both teens looking away, light blushes on their faces.

"You heard?"

Kairi swallowed. "Uh huh..."

"Well..." Sora fidgeted with his fingers, wondering why his heart was thumping so hard. "I guess we can't avoid the subject any longer..."

"Yeah..." Kairi stared at the toes of her pink shoes. There was a scuff mark on the white tip. She'll have to clean that later.

"Kairi..." Said girl looked up, Sora staring intently at her. "Um...it may be our future...but..." Sora looked uneasy. This was much harder than what Riku made it out to be.

"Sora..." Kairi walked over to him, sitting beside Sora. "This is the past—"

"I know." Kairi studied his profile; he no longer looked like a little boy.

Sora's jaw line was more defined, and his face was definitely less childlike. His skin was darker, due to tan, and his eyes; oh, his eyes were still the same, but they seemed dulled with age and experience, like a lost innocence.

Who can really blame him after everything he had gone through?

"I know Kairi...but it's our past. Our future." Sora looked at her, eyes...eyes that seemed too sad, too serious...too...not Sora.

"What does it matter if we end up married in the future? Doesn't that mean it was meant to be?"

There was a hitch in Kairi's voice; tone raised up to an octave. Sora wanted to avoid this in every way possible; it was heading in _that_ direction.

"Then...then..." Sora swallowed. His throat was dry. "Is that what you want? What do you feel about me Kairi?"

There. He said it.

"Sora..." He was surprised when he found her hands wound in his; he was touched when he saw the look on her face. "Sora...back on the island...before you and Riku came back, I waited. Each day I was on that island, waiting for something I couldn't even remember waiting for. Do you know what I felt?"

Sora tried to look away, feeling guilty, but Kairi's gaze locked on him.

"I felt...sad. And I didn't even know why. I waited at our island, and I didn't even know why. Then I eventually stopped waiting, and no longer went there anymore."

"I'm sorry Kairi."

She ignored his apology, still talking. "It was like a voice in the back of my mind; fading and fading away. Everyday I heard you calling me, and even though your voice was fading, it made me happy, happy knowing that those memories were still there, just faintly to the point I never gave them a second thought. But I was happy. That's what I felt."

Kairi scooted closer to Sora, her dark orbs oddly shining, dull but shining. Sora's face was expressionless, but inside his heart, he was a child again, huddling in a corner giggling his little love-sick heart out.

"I guess it wouldn't matter whether we were married in the future or not, and it's not like..." Kairi paused, a light blush spreading across her face. "...it's not like I wouldn't mind if we were married..." The last comment was a whisper, so faint that Sora barely heard it.

"Kairi..." Sora leaned his forehead against Kairi's, the spiky strands tickling her nose. "I just don't want it to be something you don't want..."

"I do want it!" The words stumbled past her clumsy lips before she could even stop them. Sora blinked, but turned away. This wasn't going to be simple, was it?

"I mean..." Kairi looked down at their still clasped hands, light running her fingertips over his lean fingers, rough and calloused from battle. "Sora...everything we've been through, we're connected...all of us in more ways than one...maybe...maybe its destiny."

"But—"

"Sora, you are the most important person in the world—no, the universe—to me. I don't want to worry about the future, because all I know is that in the past and now..." Sora faced her now, and a thin trail of tears slid down her cheek. "I know that in my heart that's all that matters."

Sora was silent, but his heart swelled with joy. He wiped Kairi's tears and pulled her into an embrace, kissing her shyly on the forehead. Kairi smiled against the fabric of his shirt, relieved.

Maybe they should just stick to the present.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Riku walked towards Kairi and Miho's room, thinking about the earlier conversation.

True, he did have feelings for Kairi, but...it wasn't his place to separate her from Sora. He may have been jealous during their first adventure (okay, that was an understatement; he nearly killed Sora), but he could never be seen in Kairi's eyes like Sora was.

Then there was Namine.

He'll admit it; she was nice, quiet, and gentle, and when he first met her when he met DiZ, their addressed each other with a sort of silent affection. A brush of hands, the warmth of each other's presence were just more reminders of their relationship, whatever it was. Riku had the distinct feeling it could have been something more.

But she was with Roxas, Sora's Nobody. And ever since Riku found out that she was Kairi's Nobody, despair washed over him. Sadness overcame him, and Riku locked his heart away, back behind his defenses of brick and spikes and darkness. Like it was supposed to be.

"RIKU!" The silver-haired boy looked up, Miho running towards him. "Riku...we play?"

Riku smiled gently. "Miho...we will play."

"We will play?"

"Yes." Gah, she was so darn cute!

"Okay!" Miho slid down the hallway in bare feet, Riku rolling his eyes. "Come, come now Ri-KU!"

"For the last time Miho, it's Riku!"

"Ri-KYU!" Miho laughed, sitting in the living room while Riku took his sweet time. She was bouncing up and down on the cushions, eyes alight with laughter.

"Okay...Miho, what is mama's name?" Riku sat across from her, watching her intently as she searched her mind for the answer.

"Kai...Kairi..." Miho's lips struggled with the syllables, Riku gently coaxing her into saying it. "Kairi."

"Yes. That is mama's name. Now what is daddy's name?" Riku taught her this way since it was easier for her to address Sora and Kairi as father and mother. How was that conversation going anyway...?

"Daddy...daddy is Sora." Miho replied without much difficulty. "Riku...?"

"Yeah Miho?"

"What is Riku?" She stared him determinedly in the eye, her cobalt orbs boring into Riku's aquamarine. "What is...Riku...?"

"Hmmm..." Riku scratched his head, thinking. "Riku...I am a friend."

"Riku is...friend?"

"Yeah. A friend."

"Riku..." Miho walked over and sat next to Riku, curious. "What is...a friend?"

"Well...a friend is someone you like to be around...who is nice to you and cares about you. A friend will never leave you behind. A friend will always be there for you." (A/n Okay, even I'm realizing that this sounds OOC for Riku, but he's teaching something important here.)

"Riku...always here for me...?"

Riku's face went from smiling to a sad frown. He couldn't help but realize how much Miho sounded like...

"Yeah...I'm always here for you."

And he felt like he was torn in two.

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A/n WOW! That was a bit angsty, but I thoroughly enjoyed writing this. There was also a hinting at Namiku here, but Namixas should come out in the next chapter, along with some more SoraKai! They don't need any words to profess their love to each other, because they already know it in their hearts...d'awww...I just made myself feel all fluffy inside...


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